Sunnydayz

Latest posts by Sunnydayz

The modern roses have been flowering about a couple of weeks, Lady Emma just this weekend. The old roses veilchenblau and rosamundi, FE lester etc., just before the weekend. I'm in the east midlands, not far from where Gregorys Roses used to be.

Another vigorous clematis, but again on my pergola, triternata x rubromarginata, lots of small arrow petalled (almost starlike) flowers, dark pink and smell of marzipan! Just outside the patio door .

Hi guys, great advice on plants, we found that leaving an old compost heap alone down the side of the house out of the way, that bees came and nested in it. They kept themselves to themselves and the dog stayed away and was great to see them in the garden.

My parents found some nesting under a saxifrage on their rockery! Fascinating to watch, Do check out the bee conservation website though, they do updates every month that you can sign onto online.

You can get charts of different bees to, to try to identify ... all good fun.

Hi, How about Bougainvillea? Generally these grow big, but there are smaller varieties. Was chatting to a B. grower and exhibitor at Chelsea this year and he said they just love the sun.

Saw larger varieities outside in Franceand they looked fabulous, we can't do that here, but the guy at Chelsea said they make lovely conservatory plants. Haven't tried it myself though..... as we don't have a conservatory!

I forgot to mention my climbers. I have Frances E lester over and to the front of the roof a wooden swing seat, saw similar at Dorothy Clive's,in Shropshire. Looks fabulous and in a confined corner space, which mine is, the scent really works. I have veilchenblau on a pergola off the back of the house and that has room to run and is doing so and finally coming out in flower with this sun. Mortimer Sackler I have on a rose arch and that flowered right into November last year, despite the weather! Lovely choices.

Park direcktor riggers is one, if I ever move house and get more space, that's fabulous too.

I have rosa mundi (love the history and folk lore that goes with it too), tuscany superb, the bourbon louise odier (rescued from my college when i was there), rosa glauca, macrantha raubritter. But I do have some newer ones the Austins Lady Emma Hamilton, I do have Gertrude Jekyll, new this year. Deep red flower carpet for a difficult situation on the front garden and also bought from GW live this year whilst I was on the Plant Heritage stand - Jacqueline du pre.

would love more but garden's only small. But whilst at college I worked voluntarily for a year on their national collection of old roses, and was hooked! pardon the pun.

Hi Tony, yes looks like powdery mildew to me, can happen if dry around roots and moist air around leaves/flowers etc.We had a lot of wet last year and in the midlands have had warm damp conditions which are ripe for fungal problems.

Spores are air bourne so climbers can suffer a little because the air doesn't circulate quite the same as it can around and through a shrub. there are spray treatments, but I suggest if problem's not too bad, just remove infected buds/leaves, water regularly in dry spells at the base and give a good mulch at the base with well rotted compost to encourage soil moisture retention.

Is it a small Rhododendron or Azalea? If so need ericaceous soil/compost. If so, can propagate by seed in containers in a cold frame as soon as ripe or root semi-ripe cuttings in late summer. Semi ripe are new shoots that are just beginning to harden off and have not flowered this season.I think a whole branch was just a little too much for the new roots to cope with.

Can layer in autumn apparently, this is drawing a lower branch to the ground and pinning it down, can put a little soil over it and forgetting about it whilst the branch develops roots into the soil. this eventually can be separated from parent plant, takes a while though, like until next season.